OPEN LETTER to President Barroso, Mr Herman van Rumpuy, Member State governments, Presidents of the European Parliament and the Consultative Committees: the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of Regions.

Dear President Barroso and Presidents of European institutions,
Today 18 April 2011 marks the sixtieth Anniversary of the foundation of European Democracy. It is also the Birthday of the Commission although the Commission together with the other institutions that were also created that day refuse to acknowledge it. Not even a press release was published.

It is the designated day to commemorate the birth of Europe. It is set by treaty and the by moral authority of all Europeans 60 years ago. That was agreed with huge majorities in all the eleven parliamentary debating chambers of the original Six founding Member States. The Founding Fathers also expressed themselves very clearly. They signed a document — the Declaration of Inter-Dependence — saying so.

Today we are celebrating the LONGEST PERIOD OF PEACE in more than 2000 years of European history. At no time in the history of Europe was the territory of the original Six founder States of Europe free from war for more than about fifty years. Usually it was a great deal less.

Every generation in the past knew WAR. Now every generation since World War 2 knows only one thing inside the European Community — PEACE.

That has NOT happened before.

Not in the time of the Romans,

not in the time after the removal of the Roman military dictatorship from Europe,

not during the time of Roman Emperor Constantine when the capital of the Empire moved to Constantinople, nor at any time till it fell in 1453,

not during the time of Justinian and his Code,

not during the time of Goths,

not during the time of Charlemagne,

not during the time of Otto,

not during the Normans,

not during the low Middle Ages, nor the middle Middle Ages nor the High Middle Ages,

not under the popes, nor under the emperors,

not under the Hohenstaufen, nor under Habsburgs,

not when Europeans where fighting Islamic invasions,

nor when the were conducting crusades abroad,

not when the population was diminished by plague,

nor when they grew in population,

not when the religion was that of the Roman pontiffs or that of Luther,

not under kings, nor emperors nor republics,

not under the ‘enlightenment’, nor ‘humanism’, or the age of ‘reason’,

not in the age of the French royal absolutism, the Republic or Napoleonism,

not in the time of industrialization, nor peasant agriculture,

not under the Congress of Europe,

not under the League of Nations,

not in the age of colonialism, nor when the Europeans lost the colonies,

nor has Europe ever created a United States of Europe based on the American model.

It has always been in a constant state of European civil war — until 18 April 1951.

Today EUROPE has peace. Today, when the half-billion population of the European Union is probably twice that of the entire earth under the Romans, Europe has peace. And with what diversity of views! Today Europe is filled with more people with more diverse ideas on life, science, religion and politics. It has a couple of States with Atomic bombs able to kill hundreds of thousands in a single flash of light. It has tons of explosive bombs. European States have large armies, navies and airforces. They have never been used against fellow Member States. Never since 18 April 1951. States have great industry and fierce industrial competition. They have great centres of banking. But none of these have led to wars as in the past, not since 18 April 1951. Europe has not just a Single Market but now has the way to manage it without strife. It has more than a score of languages and much more in terms of cultures, all vying for survival in a modern world. No culture has gone to war to protect its existence, not since 18 April 1951. Everyone is free to pursue their own cultural activities. It has atheists living along side Jews and Christians, even though the principles of a supranational Europe derive from Biblical revelation. It has icy wastes in the Arctic and dry deserts in the south. All Europeans are fed. Europe has ideologies by the bucketful! And yet it has new means to come to agreement on the truth.

And yet in spite of all that diversity the New Europeans all have agreed on one thing. They want peace. And they agreed on the Method. That was the the SUPRANATIONAL method of the Community.

It has peace as a SUPRANATIONAL COMMUNITY. It works. Robert Schuman called it an innovation like a great ‘scientific discovery‘.

Why is the European Commission not explaining HOW it works? Why is it not explaining the difference between Supranational Democracy which works and internationalism or inter-governmentalism which will inevitably FAIL? History shows that to be the case.

That COMMUNITY was founded 60 years ago today. On that day the totally independent States of Europe agreed to a new institution, the European Commission, then called the High Authority. It would have supranational powers. That means it would exercise independent judgement, in the same way as a judge must in Court. It should NOT be in dialogue or tied to any enterprise, labour force, consumer group, nation, political party or other interest group or lobby. It should not take instructions from any government, and that includes resigning when they want a new minister. We would not expect that of a High Court judge. It would function according to universal values such as truth and justice. It would respect the framework agreement of all European States — the Convention of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.

To work properly supranational democracy has a minimum of FIVE independent institutions. The Commission’s members were to be selected by the governments to fulfill these criteria and also have sound judgement and the necessary experience. (That independence is a continuing struggle as politicians refuse to stop acting like prima donnas. They want to nominate their man or woman in the Commission, an act which is completely illegal in the Community system.)

The Commission’s proposals, made as fair as they could judge, were then subject to Legal Opinions from three representative groups: governments, organized civil society (directly elected in their own parliament) and all individuals (represented by the European Parliament). Thus all sections of society should be consulted who were affected by the powers of the Commission. It would then enter into a full dialogue before the proposals became law by their publication by the Commission in the Official Journal. A court also of independent lawyers was given the task to act as a means of legal appeal, should any institution, or organization or individual feel that it was being discriminated. Any such person can ask the European Court a relevant question via a local, regional or national court or even a tribunal.

Because of that great innovation, Europe has had peace since 1945 — 66 years of peace, totally unknown in the past. Instead of having another war the next generation after World War 2, Europe found a way to peace. That is a fact of history.

This political design was agreed by all governments and signed by their plenipotentiaries on 18 April 1951. It had as its prime goal and purpose:

TO MAKE WAR NOT ONLY UNTHINKABLE BUT MATERIALLY IMPOSSIBLE.

It succeeded.

Peace can only come from TRUTH, Justice and Morality. That was also described in the DEMOCRATIC principles that the leaders defined on that great, historic day, sixty years ago. They said that the TRUE FOUNDATION for building Europe was SUPRANATIONAL DEMOCRACY.

Europe Declaration

18 April 1951

The following CHARTER OF THE COMMUNITY was made and signed on same day as Europe’s founding Treaty of Paris, creating the European Coal and Steel Community. This DECLARATION of INTER-DEPENDENCE affirms that Europe must be built on supranational democratic principles.

The President of the Federal Republic of Germany, His Royal Highness the Prince Royal of Belgium, the President of the French Republic, the President of the Italian Republic, Her Royal Highness the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, Her Majesty, the Queen of The Netherlands,

Considering that world peace can only be safeguarded by creative efforts commensurate with the dangers threatening it;

Convinced that the contribution that an organized and invigorated Europe can bring to civilization is indispensable to the maintenance of peaceful relations;

Conscious that Europe will not be constructed except by concrete achievements establishing first of all the reality of partnership, and by the establishment of common bases for economic development;

Anxious to cooperate through the expansion of their primary products in raising the standard of living and in progressing in works of peace;

Resolved to transform their age-long rivalry through the unification of their essential interests, and, by the inauguration of an economic Community, to assemble the initial basis for a broader and deeper Community of peoples who had for centuries been opposed in bloody conflicts, and to set the foundations of institutions capable of providing a direction to a destiny that is henceforward shared,

Have decided to create a European Coal and Steel.Community

This work, that has just been confirmed by our signature, we owe to the wisdom of our delegations and to the perseverance of our experts. We are deeply grateful to them.

Even before the work was set in motion, the virtues of the idea that inspired it had already aroused in our countries and beyond its borders an extraordinary surge of hope and confidence.

In signing the treaty founding the European Community for Coal and Steel Community, a community of 160 million Europeans, the contracting parties give proof of their determination to call into life the first supranational institution, and consequently create the true foundation for an organized Europe.

This Europe is open to all European countries that are able to choose freely for themselves. We sincerely hope that other countries will join us in our common endeavour.

In full awareness of the need to reveal the significance of this first step by sustained action in other sectors, we have the hope and the will in the same spirit that presided in the elaboration of this Treaty, to bring the current projects now in preparation to a successful conclusion. The work will be pursued in conjunction with the existing European bodies.

These initiatives, each with their particular objective, should rapidly take their place within the framework of a European Political Community, the concept of which is being elaborated in the Council of Europe. This should result in the coordination and simplification of the European institutions as a whole.

All these efforts will be guided by the growing conviction that the countries of free Europe are inter-dependent and that they share a common destiny. We will strengthen this sentiment by combining our energies and our determination, and bringing our work into harmony through frequent consultations and building ever-increasing trust through our contacts.

Herein lies the significance of this day. We have no doubt its importance will be understood by the public opinion of our countries and by our parliaments, who are called to decide on its ratification. The governments that together are represented here will act to all as interpreters of our common will to build a peaceful and prosperous Europe. And together we will serve Europe.

The origin, purpose and future of supranational and European Democracy

About: EURDEMOCRACY

Robert Schuman wrote a book, For Europe, incorporating some of his speeches explaining the principles of a new, more perfect form of democracy that would unite the existing European democracies in a supranational European Community. These comments here draw on that founding philosophy that united Europe's Allies and former enemies in a constructive new entity. Schuman said it would change world politics. It introduced, he said, a new stage in the history of civilization. More information on Schuman and democracy on www.schuman.info Reproduction is permitted freely provided no profit is made in the process, otherwise permission must be obtained. (c) Bron, D Price asserts his moral right to be considered the author. Information: dp@schuman.info
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